C8 canvas

[Darren Abbott]

Hi All,
I've owned a C8 Chev since 1989. I restored it for the first time back then, in green, with a home made timber tray and at the time I couldn't find 9.00 x 13" rims, so I used the Chev 16" Ute rims that it was on.
Many years ago, )back when we used to have to write letters, Mike Kelly kindly sent me some photos or an original canopy frame he had (thanks Mike).
I bought the vehicle from a farmer close to me. It was sitting under a Pepperina Tree with a motor that had seizes with time. The farmer had tried to start it about 6 months earlier. he pulled the plugs out, filled it with diesel and rocked it every day, till if freed up and turned over. He started it, ran it for ten minutes, and never touched it again. That motor is still going today, 28 years later, I have not touched it.
Some years later, a friend of mine saw a piece of rusty steel in a gully about 20kms from where I bought the C8. As it turned out, it was a British Duple, which you now see on my C8. I have always wondered. As the truck and the Duple body were found so close, is this the Actual tray from this truck? Would be incredible if it was, but what else would it have come from?
Anyway, as you can see in the photos I have finally finished the canopy frame and now want to get the canvas Tilt made. My question is. Does anyone have any photos etc, which will help me get the canvas made correctly. I have found some photos of the style of canvas I want to reproduce, but not sure what is correct for this Duple body? For example, some of the canvas covers role up at the back and some are split up the middle? Which would be complete? Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks all.
As I could not even edit the photos to get them the right way up, I deleted them. Thanks to Rob for fixing. Any tips Rob on what I did wrong.
Darren

[James Y]

Darren I am in for a canvas as well if you find a supplier. Your truck looks great, can you post some more pictures of the box from the rear and how the frame lifts off to use as tent.

I was able to get some box plans from another member that i am planning on converting to an actual drawing and will post for all.

Can you do drawings of the canvas frame??? I can convert to dimensional drawings if you can provide pictures, dimension, radius of the corners, pipe size etc etc. Then I will post for all for future reference.

Appreciate the help.

Thx Jim

[hrpearce]

photos rotated.

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by James Y

Darren I am in for a canvas as well if you find a supplier. Your truck looks great, can you post some more pictures of the box from the rear and how the frame lifts off to use as tent.

I was able to get some box plans from another member that i am planning on converting to an actual drawing and will post for all.

Can you do drawings of the canvas frame??? I can convert to dimensional drawings if you can provide pictures, dimension, radius of the corners, pipe size etc etc. Then I will post for all for future reference.

Appreciate the help.

Thx Jim

Jim

The body Darren has on his C8 is a British made body , these are quite different in many respects compared to the Canadian built 8cwt bodies. Although they look similar, the British canvas tilt frame will not swap over to a Canadian built body because the frames have a different mounting design.

Darren, I can only suggest you look at and study contemporary photos of the British 8 cwt's . I don't know of any surviving original canvas .

[Mike K]

here a few pics

[James Y]

Interesting, good to know, Is the wireless box on the WOC1, British or CDN made appears to be British same as Darren's.

My plan is to build a reproduction of the WOC1, building the box will be one of the first projects, any details, ie measurements, close up pictures avalaible??

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by James Y

Interesting, good to know, Is the wireless box on the WOC1, British or CDN made appears to be British same as Darren's.

My plan is to build a reproduction of the WOC1, building the box will be one of the first projects, any details, ie measurements, close up pictures avalaible??

jim

The WOC1 has a British body . The drawings/plans, I produced them myself for the British style 8cwt body. I have a unrestored Morris Commercial PU with the original body and tilt frame, I spent some time and measured everything up and my plans have been circulated around the globe .

[Darren Abbott]

The plans that Mike drew up for the tray were excellent. Mike, can you post those plans for Jim here or would you like me, with your permission to scan them and post them? There are quite a few pages though.
I was able to re-use all the frame work of my tray and just had to replace the sheet metal myself.
I built the canopy frame from Mikes drawings, as best I could. I was able to build a die to form the tubing in a shop press. Turned out to be a lot easier than I had feared.
I do have a lot of small questions that some may be able help with?
One of which relates to the folding legs on the canopy.
Does anyone know what the method is to secure the legs up in the folded position? I believe there is a timber block which has a webbing strap attached. Anyone know what the timber block looks like?
Cheers
Darren

[Darren Abbott]

Thanks Rob for righting the photos. I tried again just now to edit my first post. I removed the photos and re-poste them, but they still were upside down, so I deleted them totally.
No idea why they will not go the right way up?
Darren

[Darren Abbott]

Hi all,
Can anyone help me with patterns or photos of what the aerial mount would look like, which is bolted to the toolbox on the C8? It is pictured above in an earlier photo posted by Mike Kelly. Also, I am looking for the correct aerial and base if anyone can help?

Thank you
Darren

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by Darren Abbott

Hi all,
Can anyone help me with patterns or photos of what the aerial mount would look like, which is bolted to the toolbox on the C8? It is pictured above in an earlier photo posted by Mike Kelly. Also, I am looking for the correct aerial and base if anyone can help?

Thank you
Darren

This is a guess on my part, I reckon those Duple bodied vehicles didn't have any wireless fitments installed before they were issued to signals units in the field. In that case, the crews fitted the wireless bits n pieces on a ad hoc basis .

As far as I know none of the antenna mount frames have survived , we only have pics to go by.

This AWM pic has a typical setup in the field, the crew have lashed a ground type antenna to the vehicle frame. The set is a AWA 101 set , the crew have just wound some tie wire around the set and the table .They have used bits of wood as packing .

Years ago I bought a 109 set from a chap, he was in AIF signals in Syria and he told me their wireless trucks were issued without any wireless fitments, " we scrounged bits of wood and made the tables ourselves".

[Darren Abbott]

Thanks Mike.
I'll have to spend some time looking for photos of the mount. I have the No11 set, but still need an aerial and base if anyone can help?
I see what you mean about them being ad hoc. Some photos the base seems to be folded and others it seems to be welded.
Cheers
Darren

[James Y]

Darren did you find a supplier for the canvas?

I am making progress on my box, i have attached a few pics.

Jim

[Mike K]

Jim

That PU body is looking very nice .

I am a little confused because those steel boxes pictured appear to be patterned on the Canadian type tool lockers . The British style lower locker has wooden paneling .

Some pics of Rory Ballard's PU Morris . Does the WOC1 have the same style lockers ?

[Mike K]

Pics of the spare wheel area ( 900-13 tyre) . These are the Morris setup so bear that in mind.

[Mike K]

More drawings from Richard Notton, he or Rory posted me these many years ago.

[James Y]

Those are great, I did not realize the front was wood. I think I will keep this one all metal as it is already done, since it is a replica a little artistic license will be in order.

Any chance you have pics or dimensions of the frame poles and details of the poles? As well as the frame for the canvas. Tailgate as well would help. Any help would be most appreciated.

Pics of the donor truck, the truck is from Southern Saskatchewan, just above the US border, it was really well preserved for a 77 yr old truck, hardly any rust. This area of Canada is really close to being a desert, the farmer said they only had a 1/2" of rain all year.

Jim

[Mike K]

Yes I can draw the tailgate . Was the tailgate in my initial set of drawings ? I think it was . Do you have the set of drawings ?

The canvas cab frame , I can take pics of the Morris frame . The rear body canvas frame is made from 1" tubing . Darren's C8 , his frame looks very nice ( his truck not his own body ! ) .

The donor truck is in great shape ! Where are you sourcing the RHD components ?

I was emailing a WOC1 owner in the UK, an ex film prop from the late 40's, it had been modified . He had it for sale , this was many years ago.

[Darren Abbott]

Originally Posted by James Y

Darren did you find a supplier for the canvas?

I am making progress on my box, i have attached a few pics.

Jim

Hi Jim,
I finished up getting a local upholsterer (Innovative Canvas) to make the canvas for me. see his facebook below, https://www.facebook.com/innovativecanvas/

I gave him the photos I could find and he then spent hours looking for other photos.
I'll take some photos of the tailgate for you, although I made it myself many years ago without any pattern to go by, so I don't know how close it would be to the original.

Cheers
Darren

[James Y]

No right hand drive for this project, I am going to keep to the LHD. I have a LR Wolf that is RHD is a hand full merging to traffic in the fast lane.

Any pictures of anything would be great, also any pictures dimensions of the cab frame would be fantastic. I am planning on making the back half of the cab myself with a wood frame and metal skin. I think the cabs were made by Briggs, were the Morris cabs made by Briggs as well?

Pics attached of our Wolf, we use it for camping, I made a off road trailer from a Sankey frame.


Thx Jim

[Mike K]

A few pics. The lowest board seen in the tailgate pic, is a replacement board , that's why it looks a little odd .

Just my thoughts , if I was going to build a replica ( which is a moot point considering that when we replace many rusty or bent parts during a restoration, we are, actually building replicas anyway ) , I would try to build the replica as close to the original design that you can manage. Otherwise the vehicle might end up looking like a 'rat rod' rather than a replica.

I've seen a few replicas over the years , from the ridiculous to the sublime. I won't name names but sometimes the end result has apparently been inspired by a bad dream or nightmare

[Mike K]

tailgate.................